What's on the menu today?

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:59 am

The macaroons sound great - I envy your egg tolerance! Polly, we have an egg-free and tasty macaroon available here, from a very small brand, which isn't suitable for MB & me, because it contains almonds, but as I remember, that might be good for you- yes? I'll re-check the brand name and let you know. I'm thinking of using their ingredient list to make my own.

I did make 'goo' the other night - I mis-ordered at a restaurant, and got home a little hungry. I mixed shredded coconut, coconut oil, honey, and plain GF/DF/SF/*F cocoa for a few tablespoons of tastiness, and it was great! As soon as I can turn that into something portable or repeatable (maybe it's a pudding, but I'm hoping for something I can put in my purse!?), I will post a recipe.

About that duck bacon - we get it at the greenmarket from an upstate farmer. They also make a duck salami, but it has nonfat powdered milk (boo!). I think we should each start walking up to butchers in Whole Foods and saying "I'll take a half-pound of duck bacon, please" until they figure out where to get some! Similarly, ask those friendly helpful staffers @Trader Joe's - "where's the duck bacon?"... and eventually, someone will answer, "Aisle 3"!

Bon appetit to all...

Love,
Sara

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:40 pm

Being new to the paleo lifestyle, I don't have much to add. I bought the cookbook, Everyday Paleo, and have been very pleased with the three meals we have fixed from it. One was called "Rockin' Moroccan Chicken." My family was not too thrilled with the cinnamon/raisin/green olive combo, but they ate it and I liked it--ate the leftovers for breakfast.

We had some girls over for a sleepover on Saturday, and fixed paleo pizza. The crust was made with almond flour, and it had marinara sauce, Italian turkey sausage, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, black olives, and crookneck squash. It was excellent! I especially enjoyed it, as going dairy-free is new and very hard for me, and I did not miss it at all! Leftovers for breakfast.

A couple of nights ago we fixed tuna salad. It was supposed to go in avocado "boats" but we mixed the avocado in with it instead, with green onions, dill weed, cherry tomatoes, and celery. I had the leftovers for breakfast. Since going paleo, I can eat tomatoes, apparently! No reactions to any of the tomatoes I have eaten.

For breakfast, I have been eating eggs and turkey sausage that I mixed up myself. I also make a smoothie with coconut milk, berries, and my magnesium/calcium supplement. Lunch often consists of apples and/or celery with almond butter and sometimes raisins. Snacks are often a nut of some kind, or apples, etc.

I bought an ice cream maker (my husband is addicted), and we have made strawberry sorbet and cocoa/coconut milk ice cream. It's been so hot (even for the Pacific Northwest) that I have made chocolate soda by whipping some cocoa and coconut milk in the Vita Mix, and combining it with some club soda over ice.

I forget that my tastes have changed and I like vegetables now. I really want to dig into some veggie recipes, but I am so in the habit of avoiding them (thankfully my children and husband do not have this problem) that I probably should look at my meals from the veggie standpoint first for a while, until I get in the habit of them.

JoAnn · Post by **JoAnn** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:55 pm

Polly, I discovered Jenny's macaroons early on in my mc journey and have made them even more decadent by melting Enjoy chocolate chips and dipping them in the chocolate. I let them cool and and then store them in the same container they came in.
This is a great thread and if I remember right, I think Polly used to do these on a regular basis. It seems like I ran off a lot from the archives to help have ideas for meals.
This morning, put almond milk, coconut milk, fresh spinach, carrots, an apple, a banana, frozen blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple , 3 T of chocolate rice protein powder and cinnamon in my Vitamix and made a smoothie. It makes 3 large glassfuls, so I have enough for later and tomorrow morning. I LOVE my Vitamix and my gut loves it, too. I seem to tolerate fruits and vegetables so much better when I use it to prepare things.
We're planning on having steak, baked potatoes, and corn out of the garden later. We've been getting tons of tomatoes from the garden and my husband makes a killer salsa which we've been eating by the gallons with tortilla chips. We make guacamole by mixng the salsa with avocados, really yummy.
I eat eggs from time to time for breakfast without any reaction even though I tested positive at Enterolab. We have our own little flock of chickens and a few ducks. I eat fresh eggs from both.
Thanks for starting this thread Mary Beth and thanks everybody for contributing.
Love JoAnn

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:25 pm

JoAnn, I'm so glad to hear you can have the occasional egg despite testing high via Enterolab - I hope I'll be telling that same story one day! (I put a date in my calendar for giving it a try... maybe I'll go for it sooner if all goes well).

Your smoothie sounds great - we rely on our Vitamix-style Blendtec blender at least 3 mornings a week, and plan to take it on vacation to the beach next week!

I have one exciting addition to my planned menu from yesterday - though I've been eating *no* grains at all, I did have a small portion of the fresh corn dish my husband made last night, from our bounty of CSA corn (with a little jalapeno pepper, in avocado oil). No problem today! We put up the rest in the freezer (better than wasting it, though there's nothing like fresh-fresh-fresh). I think I'll stick to mostly-no-grains, but it's good to know that a little corn - even fresh, fiber-y corn right off the cob - is not a problem, at this stage of healing.

Pre-MC, I have made a 'corn chowder' with cooked fresh corn and homemade cashew-cream in the past - maybe I'll repeat that before corn season is over.

And I agree, fruits/veg in the blender have been good to me, too.

I have so enjoyed this trip through everyone's dietary adventures!

Love,
Sara

JoAnn · Post by **JoAnn** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 6:05 pm

Sara, I hope too that eggs will be a part of your life again. They have never really bothered me in baked goods and I waited two years after diagnosis/enterolab tests before I had the courage to try them on their own. I still make sure that I eat them several days apart to be safe. After testing positive to gluten/dairy/soy/eggs/and yeast, I was so happy when I discovered I could still eat corn. I use corn tortillas for a lot of dishes and love the corn from our garden. Your corn chowder sounds wonderful. Chicken has also caused me problems since getting MC, but I have eaten some over the past few months and seem to be OK now. I do make sure though that I only eat the type a local market in my area sells that is hormone-free and is not injected with anything. I do think vigilance to the diet coupled with time eventually brings much healing to many of us. I know it's more complicated for others unfortunately. In my case it has taken diet, Entocort, and a lot of patience to get where I am. This board held my hand through the hard times and I continue to live off the amazing wisdom and experience that is only found here. Thank you for all you contribute in such a warm, fun, and caring way. Love JoAnn
PS-My Vitamix went to the Grand Canyon with me-stayed in a cabin.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:44 pm

JoAnn,

Our blender is a little jealous of your Vitamix going to the Grand Canyon! (We will find 'foraging' for healthful ingredients a little easier on this beach trip!)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience with eggs. I have a note in my calendar to give them a try in December 2012

(it's been there for a few weeks now). We are lucky to have several options for (I hope) safe chicken, and turkey as well. I am ambivalent about adding corn back as a regular food... I am doing so well on no-grains... and I have had incredibly corn cravings in the past. Every time we've been to Mexico, I have had intense dreams about corn after we return. That sounds a little like I might have an addictive response, huh???

Where I grew up, we used to raid the cornfields. They switched 'em around every year, so sometimes the cow-corn was where the sweet corn used to be. But - we would sometimes find ears of sweet corn in the middle of the road, that had bounced out of a truck. (So sorry I wasted any time at all with wheat!)

Noodler · Post by **Noodler** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:12 pm

Sara mentioned drinking a bottle of Kombucha, particularly as an energy boost when out and about.

I've got to say that I have just started brewing and drinking my own kombucha and it seems to be having a surprising impact on my symptoms. I think it tastes great and is really fun to brew. I'd recommend anyone to get a Scoby from The kombucha exchange and get brewing http://www.kombu.de/suche2.htm

It has antibiotic properties so you have to be careful with it and drink a little to start with but it tastes so amazing.

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 11:21 pm

I drink kombucha regularly, and my gut likes it. It actually has probiotic properties rather than antibiotic. I agree that it's a good idea to start slowly with it. A little can go a long way if you are not used to it. It has more stuff in it than just the probiotics. I've mentioned before that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn attributes surviving the gulag to drinking kombucha.

I have started several families in my church drinking kombucha just by taking extra mothers to church and giving them away. Generally, if you know someone who is brewing their own kombucha, they will be glad to give you one with a little starter brew. I hate throwing the little beauties away...

The nice thing about making your own kombucha is that you can tweak the taste to your liking by varying your brew time depending on the ambient temperature. Or you can add flavor to your decanted brew by the bottle or by the cup. My husband likes it flavored with some sort of berry juice. I have a couple of friends who brew it in containers where they add to the top every couple of days and pour off from the bottom. They puil scobies out and give/throw them away when the brew gets too vinegary.

Post by **tex** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 7:59 am

Marliss,

Some sources claim that kombucha does have antibiotic properties. It's also sometimes contaminated with penicillin, candida, etc. Here are a couple of examples:

CONCLUSION

Kombucha, acetic acid solution, and heat-denaturated Kombucha samples showed significant antimicrobial activity against all bacteria except for Sarcina lutea, but there was no activity against moulds and yeasts. Neutralized Kombucha and unfermented tea did not show antimicrobial activity against test microorganisms. Lemon balm tea samples and Kombucha samples showed antioxidant activity against DPPH radicals in all applied sample volumes. Kombucha samples had higher antioxidant activity than tea samples.

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450 ... 38165V.pdf

However, in this study, Kombucha proved to exert antimicrobial activities against E. coli, Sh. sonnei, Sal. typhimurium, Sal. enteritidis, and Cm. jejuni, even at neutral pH and after thermal denaturation. This finding suggests the presence of antimicrobial compounds other than acetic acid and large proteins in Kombucha.

Only three specimens showed definite contaminations. In one case, no yeasts could be isolated because of massive contamination with Penicillium spp. In the remaining two samples (from one household), Candida albicans was demonstrated.

The low rate of contamination might be explained by protective mechanisms, such as formation of organic acids and antibiotic substances.
Thus, subjects with a healthy metabolism do not need to be advised against cultivating Kombucha. However, those suffering from
immuno-suppression should preferably consume controlled commercial Kombucha beverages.

http://www.organic-kombucha.com/kombuch ... udies.html

Some claim that it has no antibiotic properties, other than the effects of the acetic acid in the vinegar.

The contribution of tea itself to the anti-microbial activity of Kombucha proved to be insignificant in the tested organisms, even at the highest levels tested, 70 g/L (7%) dry tea. As a result, the anti-microbial activity of Kombucha was attributed to its acetic acid content.

http://happyherbalist.com/analysis_of_kt_cornell.htm

This one seems to have the best analysis of the situation:

The antimicrobial activity of Kombucha: The antimicrobial activity of Kombucha has been a ontroversial matter. Hesseltine (1965) reported antimicrobial activity of neutralized Kombucha against Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Greenwalt et al. (1998) demonstrated antimicrobial effect of Kombucha against many bacteria including some food-borne pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Guttapadu and Sreeramulu (2000) also reported antimicrobial effect of Kombucha against foodborne pathogens such as Camplylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria sp., Yersinia enterocolitic,, Helicobacter pylori and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
On the other hand, Steinkraus et al. (1996) stated that no antimicrobial effect was observed when Kombucha was tested against E. coli., S. aureus, H. pylori and A. tumefaciens. Karamadin et al. (2001) showed that although Kombucha had antimicrobial activity in its normal acidic
reaction against Staphylococcus sp. and Streptococcus sp, it had no such effect when its acidity was neutralized.

A limited research was carried out to check the extent of the antimicrobial activity of Kombucha and its components. Both the combinations lactic-acetic-tea extract and lactic-acetic exhibited more antimicrobial activity against the test organisms than did Kombucha (Table 1). It was concluded that the alleged antimicrobial activity of Kombucha is basically conferred by the organic acids produced during fermentation. This occurs in many acid-fermented foods (Jay 1992) and is not unique to Kombucha which thus seems not to have a unique antimicrobial capacity.

http://www.mtgs.me/kombucha/docs/Studie ... gus%29.pdf

Isn't it interesting how "scientists" can reach opposite conclusions about the same phenomenon.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:42 am

Hmmm, that sure is confusing, in an informative sort of way

!

I think we'll give home-brewing another try. It may not have magic powers, but we do like it. Marliss, my husband found my previous tempts too vinegary - I think both because I left the scoby in too long, and also because I probably started with too big a splash of vinegar, out of fear of molds.

I'm going to start over when we get home from our vacation, and let you know how it goes,

Sara

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:15 am

I will concede that kombucha has anti-microbial effects. When one says "antibiotic" one generally means something that whacks the good guys, too. To be precise, lol.

Care has to be taken with the scoby in order to keep it from becoming contaminated with bacteria or mold. When the mother stops producing babies or the brew grows mold the whole she-bang needs to be thrown away. What I do is wash my hands and a plate that I am going to put the mother/daughter on when I decant. Dishwasher detergent is bad for the scoby. Sometimes I rinse or wash the jar before I put the scoby back. A scoby is only good for about seven brews, so unless I am planning on giving one away, I evaluate which scoby I want to use and throw the other one away. Usually that means I am using the newest one. I know other people are not as OCD as I am, but I had a scoby go bad once, and do not want to repeat the experience.

Sara, you put vinegar in your kombucha? I have never heard of that. If you want to see the recipe I use, it is in Dee's Kitchen. I generally brew mine about 10 days. I know some like it more vinegary, and will brew it as long as three weeks. I had a batch brewing while we were on vacation, so it went longer than three weeks. It smelled so strongly when I decanted it that I cut it with other tea without even tasting it.

I have never done the testing to see how much of the sugar has been consumed by the scoby. I have a friend who cannot drink kombucha because she is too sensitive to the sugar and doesn't have a way to test it to make sure the sugar is all gone. I cannot handle caffeine, but (weird as it sounds) apparently the scoby does something with the caffeine, too, because I don't have a problem with it.

Post by **tex** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:51 pm

Apparently all of the antibiotic properties in kombucha are in the vinegar. Antibiotics are an interesting category. MRSA, (the notorious "flesh-eating" germs), are considered to be antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and yet ordinary hand soap will knock them on their butts just as well, (or better than), any of the remaining sophisticated antibiotics that are known to still be effective for treating them. So clearly, hand soap has powerful antibiotic properties.

Tex

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:12 am

My first post.....I'm on month 2 of Entocourt, now at 6 mg, and realize I need to really work on diet in order to get off of Entocourt.....which is working.....but I get dizziness on it. So I"m really working on diet.
Grains have been problematic so I'm trying Paleoish.

Breakfast: Small piece wildcaught salmon, topped with homemade organic pesto I pulled from my freezer and all of this baked. I also sauted some sliced organic radishes fresh from my organic farm connection and then wilted organic arugala with the sliced radishes. (radishes turn mild when cooked.)

When everything was cooked I plopped the salmon in the middle of the plate, encircled the salmon/pesto with the arugala/radish mixtured and topped everything with a squeeze of lemon.

Yummy!, surprisingly good! This turned into what you would typically pay $25.00 for at a high end restaurant!

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 2:41 pm

Welcome Brandy!

I also love sauteed radishes - they are surprisingly delicious. Your meal sounds great. I just made several batches of pesto from my abundant basil crop and have it stored in the freezer.

Mary Beth

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:25 pm

Brandy,

That sounds fabulous - I haven't reminded myself to appreciate our "high-end" home meals in those terms lately, but I know exactly what you mean.

The radishes sound great - we will definitely be trying that. I've found arugula to be a super-useful food - small or large, cooked or raw, chopped fine and used like an herb, or as a salad addition. We've done an arugula pesto, and a kale pesto (which sounds terrible, but even kids who don't eat vegetables love kale pesto - go figure!). I'm so glad to be reminded of these thoughts - this is just that time of year where we should be doing something useful with the abundance of kale!

Welcome,

Sara

MICROSCOPIC COLITIS SUPPORT

What's on the menu today?

I'm Drinking Kombucha - All Homebrewed